Foreign visitors to Japan hit 3.7 mil. in May, new record for month

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in May rose 21.5 percent from a year earlier to 3.7 million, a record for the month, government estimates showed Wednesday, as travel demand remained strong even after cherry blossom season.

By country and region, South Korea topped the…[Read more]

Japan ‘s ANA Now Unveils its New Luxurious Business-Class Seat: Elevating Experience in the Premium Travel

In a groundbreaking development set to redefine luxury air travel, All Nippon Airways (ANA) in Japan has officially announced its latest innovation—the spectacularly redesigned business-class seat named “The Room FX.” Scheduled to debut i…[Read more]

Supreme Court Upholds 18-Year Sentence for Doctor in Kyoto

The Supreme Court has finalized the sentence of 18 years in prison for Yoshikazu Okubo, who conspired with a former doctor to carry out an assisted death in Kyoto in 2019 at the request of a female patient suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

During previous trials, Okubo…[Read more]

Germany sees limited financial leeway on next EU budget, policy paper shows

Germany wants the European Union’s next seven-year budget to keep a lid on spending, according to a policy paper seen by Reuters on Saturday, with Berlin arguing members do not have room to boost the scope of their contributions.
The German economy, Europe’s largest, has…[Read more]

New German–Ukrainian defence partnership

Germany and Ukraine plan to jointly produce long-range weapons systems. Following talks in Kyiv, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy listed cruise missiles, drones and rockets as key elements of the new cooperation.

Germany will provide funding, while Ukraine w…[Read more]

Germany tackles explosive wartime legacy at sea

Unexploded WWII bombs are still regularly found across Germany. But hundreds of thousands of tons of wartime munitions also lurk off its shores. Now Berlin is stepping up moves to clean up this perilous toxic waste.

An estimated 1.6 million metric tons of conventional munitions lie in Germany’s…[Read more]

Ishiba on the counteroffensive in parliament’s final rush

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is gradually mounting a counteroffensive as the parliamentary session comes to a close, energized by a recent bump in popularity and weakening momentum for a no-confidence motion among opposition parties.
This week, Ishiba used two opportunities — a debate wit…[Read more]

Japan Moves to Grant Science Council Autonomy

The Diet has passed legislation to establish the Science Council of Japan as an independent corporation, separating it from direct government control.

Under the revised Science Council of Japan Act, which cleared the House of Councillors, the Science Council will operate as an independent corporate…[Read more]

Japan protests to China after ‘dangerous’ moves by warplanes over Pacific

Japan said J-15 warplanes operating from two Chinese aircraft carriers in the Pacific carried out risky manouvres around patrol planes.

Japan has protested to Beijing over what was described as Chinese fighter jets’ “near-miss” manoeuvres near Japanese maritime patrol pl…[Read more]

Eurostar vows to run direct trains from UK to Germany and Switzerland

Cross-Channel rail operator, which is trying to fend off rivals for its London depot space, regards early 2030s as feasible

Eurostar has vowed to run direct trains from the UK to Germany and Switzerland, as it attempts to fend off potential competitors eyeing its London depot…[Read more]

Germany granted citizenship to a record number of people in 2024, led by Syrians

Germany granted citizenship to a record 291,955 people last year, a 46% increase from 2023, with Syrians making up the largest group, according to data released by the Federal Statistics Office on Tuesday.
Reforms in the citizenship law contributed to the jump, the…[Read more]

Germany: Court to rule on press freedom for banned magazine

The right-wing extremist magazine Compact was outlawed in 2024, but it’s available on newsstands again after winning an appeal. Now, Germany’s Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig will have the final word.

In 2024, then Interior Minister Nancy Faeser banned Compact magazine. She…[Read more]

Japan PM Ishiba mulls Trump trade meeting before G7, says Yomiuri newspaper

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting Washington to meet President Donald Trump before a mid-month summit of the Group of Seven nations as he seeks a trade deal, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday.
Japanese officials see signs of progress on…[Read more]

Japan Overhauls Prison System for First Time in a Century

Japan has officially abolished both penal servitude and imprisonment without labor, replacing them with a newly introduced ‘custodial sentence’ system. This marks the first major reform of the country’s penal code since it was established in 1907.

Under the new system, inmates will be…[Read more]

Japan frets over fighter rollout target and weighs stopgap options, sources say

Japan has growing doubts that its next-generation fighter project with Britain and Italy will meet a 2035 rollout target, potentially forcing Tokyo to plug air defense gaps with new U.S. F-35 stealth planes or upgrades to aging jets, two sources said.
The joint Global…[Read more]

Merz says Israeli actions in Gaza ‘no longer justified’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the fight against “Hamas terrorism” does not justify the suffering of civilians in Gaza. He no longer “understands what Israel is trying to achieve.” DW has more.

German Chancellor Merz says ‘no longer understands’ Israel’s goal in Gaza

German…[Read more]

Japan’s Eneos to ramp up investment in LNG, SAF while slowing hydrogen

Japan’s top oil refiner, Eneos Holdings, plans to increase investment in low-carbon energy such as liquefied natural gas and sustainable aviation fuel, while slowing efforts in cleaner alternatives like hydrogen, its CEO said on Monday.
Under a new three-year business plan…[Read more]

Japan’s sputtering economy likely stalled before Trump’s tariffs

Japan’s economy likely suffered a contraction in the first three months of this year, signaling underlying fragility even before U.S. tariff measures started hitting the country in earnest, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
Gross domestic product adjusted for infla…[Read more]

Japan Begins Production of Stealth Patrol Vessels to Enhance Surveillance of its Territorial Waters

Amid increasing naval activity by China and Russia near its maritime borders, Japan has launched the construction of a new series of next-generation patrol vessels for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The program calls for the…[Read more]

Germany’s socialist Left Party is flying high

Shortly after the new government has taken office, the smallest opposition party in the Bundestag is taking stock of its recent success at a party conference in Chemnitz. Its motto is “We are the hope.”

For months, the socialist Left Party has been rubbing its eyes in amazement: It won an unexpected…[Read more]